The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1912. FRANCE AND BRITAIN.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 21, 8 January 1912, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 1912. FRANCE AND BRITAIN.

On what is considered to be reliable, if unofficial, authority, it was stated in England at the beginning of December that while no definite proposals jiatl been put, .forward, the idra .had been noted;.of general negotiations being: entered into between Great Britain and France for a' rectification of frontiers and exchange of territory between the two countries in various parts of the world wherever the international boundaries meet. A few weeks previously some definite form was given to at least a part of this question when the state of Morocco negotiations indicated that a large section of the French Congo would be cut off from other French possessions, in which case negotiations would probably have been commenced for a rectification of the Anglo-French boundaries in Nigeria, as a result of which France would still have access to her possessions in the interior, even if communication were stopped by way of the Congo and the Uhanghi. The modification of the Franco-German negotiations, and the final terms of the Congo agreement, however, removed the urgency of this question. At the same time statesmen on both s'des of the Channel have in mind the advisability of a general consideration of questions involving the territories of the two Bowers, not only in West Africa and the Soudan, lint also th 6 French possessions in India and other parts of the world; in fact, a completion, so far as the Anglo-French fron-

tiers arc concerned, of the convention of 190-1. The close relations between the two Governments, together with the rapid advance of geographical knowledge during the past few years, have rendered such a discussion not only opportune lint desirable. At a time when international boundaries were necessarily limited to straight lines and circles drawn arbitrarily on maps, without much knowledge of the regions concerned, a general agreement such as that referred to would have been difficult; but with the vast-ly-increased knowledge and remarkable development of what were but recently unknown regions, there is reason to believe that it is possiDie to arrive at an agreement which would once for all settle the Anglo-French boundaries all over the world, and remove a condition of affairs which was in some eases out-of-date and inconvenient. In well-informed diplomatic quarters the view is held that a commencement will probably be made as the result of the Turco-Italian war, and its effect on the slave trade with the Darful Wadai region, and present feeling is that if a start were made it would be thought advisable to consider every question arising out of the proximity of the international boundaries wherever British and French , possessions touched. It would therefore not be unlikely—although, as already stated, no definites steps have been taken, and the matter is not of an urgent character—‘oat negotiations in the sense indicated may be commenced. In view of the .vulosprcad character of flic in lor-

i.’sts involved, such negotiations would scarcely ho expected to ho of a raped eha racter.

SAVINGS BAMKS.

The Old Country is the mother oi Post Office Savings Banks, which are to lie found to-day in many countries, and it is interesting to notice that the jubilee oi the British Savings Bank was celebrated the other day. The hank (a writer in the Christchurch “Press” points out) is one of the many things England owes to Mr. Gladstone—benefits which, in the eyes of many, are obscured by his unfortunate dealings in foreign and colonial affairs. In the evening of his days Mr. Gladstone, looking back on his career, put tire creation of the hank third among the six great achievements of Ins life. . He had two objects in his mind when lie founded the bank. One, the encouragement of thrift, he made the utmost use of in argument; the other, the power the money deposited would give _to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he said nothing about. Indeed, he admitted afterwards that had he told the House of Commons what was at the back of his mind, the Bill would not have jiassed. The growth of tiro SavingsBank has been remarkable. Two years after its foundation the deposits totalled nearly three and a half millions; to-day they touch the stupendous fig ure of £170,000,000, or nearly £4 per head of the population. When the scheme was propounded, an M.P. expressed the fear that the hank would hi' larger than the Bank of England. To-day the hank is three times as largo as the Bank cf England," and has no fewer than 15,000 branches. An institution such as this plays an important part in the life of the people, and it was fitting that its jubilee should he celebrated. Some interesting facts were mentioned by the PostmasterGeneral at the jubilee gathering. Tire bank is much bothered by the frequent deposit and withdrawal of small sums. Every such transaction costs the bank 4sd, whether the sum is £5 or one shilling. It is obvious that if a boy, as boys will do’ puts in a shilling one week and takes it out the next, the transactions are not profitable to the bank. To obviate this the bank has instituted a new system of coupon receipts, by which tens of thousands of pounds will be saved every year in the handling of small sums.